On The Market: Upgrading from beautiful Wash West townhouse to Madagascar
The Frank Weise-designed home includes three full baths and a powder room, and features a dramatic two-story living room with an enormous window.
Some people might say moving from a three-bedroom Washington Square West townhome to Peace Corps housing in Madagascar could pave the way for a less than smooth transition. But Ruth Eldridge is downright excited.
"The Peace Corps is just really irresistible," she said.
Eldridge, retired, has accepted a two-and-a-half-year appointment in Madagascar that begins this summer. She'll be teaching secondary English and French.
"I've had a wonderful life and it's my time to give back," she said.
To do it, she'll be selling her Frank Weise-designed home, currently listed by Fox & Roach realtor Marc Hammarberg for $669,000.
"I think new buyers will enjoy living in an architect's house that is comfy and solid enough to move in just as it is, with no alterations," she said.
The home includes three full baths and a powder room, and features a dramatic two-story living room with an enormous window. Eldridge said the view was part of why she and her late husband DeWitt decided to live there in 1993.
"I took one look at the two-story-high window in the living room, where the sun shone on the Japanese Magnolia that filled it," she said. "It was one of those rare and wonderful moments in life when everything comes together."
Given the historic provenance of the home, the Eldridges worked with the Philadelphia Architecture Commission to make renovations that included new windows to bring the house in line with historic materials.
"I bought a historic house because I wanted to be in a historic neighborhood," Eldridge said. "The historic commission is right – they do look better."
As much as she has loved living in the mid-century designed home, Eldridge said the Washington Square West neighborhood has been an equal draw.
"What I love about the neighborhood is that it is a place where people live, rather than just passing through," she said.
Living in the neighborhood since the early 90s means she has also witnessed more than 20 years of change and growth in Philadelphia.
"It's really becoming a glorious city to live in. It was always interesting and it was always fun," she said. "If I weren't going to Madagascar, I think I'd want to stay."